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Re: A thousand years here, a thousand years there
A long period of time at a certain point becomes meaningless to a person. Saying 3000 or 5000 years is something a many people cannot envision. The same way a 5 year old cannot envision being 30. This is part of the reason the number used is so generic. 1000 years, why not 1024 years or 967. If a person is familiar with geologic or societal changes then that will increase their understanding, but how many people actually know what it would be like to live in their same location 1000 years ago. What would the land and water be like, wildlife, people, etc. I do think that the author should put thought into this, but it is understandable that the characters do not rally understand what life was like back then. Understand that over the past century the average person has had more information available to them than all other times in human history combined. In the past only a select few had access to greater knowledge.

I think the points made about progress are valid and could be mentioned, but realize the changes could seem subtle to the reader. 1000 years ago human used wind driven ships, 500 years ago they still used wind driven ships. Was there progress yes, but in terms of making ships, faster and more powerful. Not in making ship run on a new power source. There are periods with subtle change and periods with massive change. The 20th century has been one of if not the greatest period of human advancement in terms of changing what we could do and understand at the start versus the end. This make us a little jaded in what progress should occur over large periods of time.
March 29, 2015, 02:14:50 PM

Re: Voice
Finding a voice for different characters can be made a little easier if one remembers that each of us has more than one voice. We have a different voice (words used, tone) that we use with co-workers versus friends or family, spouse, your children, other children or strangers. The same event could happen, yet depending on who you are with or speaking to the voice you use will change.We also had an alternate manner of speaking at different times in our life. As a 3 year old, 6 year old, 10, 16, 19, 25, 40, 65. At the various stages of our life how one speaks become tempered by our knowledge and experiences.If you can remember these times it can be drawn on for your writing. This same understanding can be used to create a voice for your characters. At times there will be characters and situations you have no context for. This is where you can do so research into the mindset or make it up since it is fiction and your story. Start with what you know and then branch out.

Re: To Describe or Not To Describe
For me the challenge is remembering that other people cannot automatically see what I imagine. To combat this I like to give a lot of detail about things that a person's senses would catch right away- the colours, smells, "feel" of a place. I like to provide the spice to go with the meat and potatoes of a scene or character.
August 08, 2015, 12:42:02 AM

Re: In creating your own magic system,
For any type of special abilities, whether you call it magic, super powers or something else, it is important for the author to know which characters can obtain the powers, how they get them, can the powers be taken away, what are the limitations of the magic/powers and what can other characters do to defeat the people with these abilities. Know what you want your characters to be able to do and their goals. Consider the obstacles you want them to face. The more powerful you make the magic/powers the more important the ways to counter them. It is all about being able to defeat people with powers. Whether they are being used for good or evil, otherwise the person with them always wins, which means a boring story.

November 08, 2015, 12:38:01 PM

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Re: Help With Race Ideas??
Perhaps by the fourth generation the titans and gods have moved to different locations (sky, underwater, land surface, underground). Maybe their powers begin to reflect where they live. Perhaps a problem comes about that is so great it requires a person from each group to work together to solve it, despite their initial distrust/dislike of each other.
February 06, 2016, 02:42:04 PM

1) What is the goal. Am I creating a new world, new scenario. What about the situation I’m writing about needs to be explained.2) Describing characters appearances, showing their personalities, the relationships they have with each other, what do they do for a living, etc. Comparable to a how a real person gets introduced to a different family or the first few times.3) Where are the characters mentally, emotionally and physically (their location) at the beginning of the story. Where do you want to be in all of these areas at the end of the story? How will they make it to where you want them to go and how long should it take?4) What are the obstacles you want the characters to have, whether they be physical, mental or emotional.5) Using a map. When I create a new fantasy world, I need to know where places are located. For this I make my own map of that world. If my story is set in the real world then I would use a real map. If a character lives in Paris France and is travelling by horse or car to Madrid Spain then the map tells you what to write in terms of the route they take, places they may visit or places to have encounters. A map helps the story write itself.

I set these up in one or two tables. I then state what I want to happen in the first 4 or 5 chapters to start. As needed I add what I want the following chapters to involve. To begin my story I write what the characters are doing the day before what leads to their adventure takes place. I like to think of what the characters are like in their everyday life. They may be students or firefighters or in the military. I may not include this in the novel by the time it's finished, but I want to know who the characters are before the story changes them.

I see writing a story like going on a road trip. I need to know where I'm (or my characters) are starting, where they will end up and some things they will do during the trip. I like to know the major events of my story, but the times between or what happens while the characters go from one location to another are written in the moment. Writing this way for me prevents writer's block. There is still the occasion where I don't know what to write for a section of the story, but I have the option to leave it and write the next section and go back after because I know where the story is going.

March 06, 2016, 02:52:42 PM

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Re: Writing in order
I write in chronological order. If I'm stuck for a while at a point in the story I will write start the next chapter and then go back when the missing bit of the story comes to me.
March 19, 2016, 06:54:02 PM